Coronavirus lockdown: apply technology to cut utility bills
With the coronavirus lockdowns, many of us are facing higher electricity and utility bills. There are some high-tech ways to reduce them.
Marc Saltzman, special to USA TODAY
YouTube has become a go-to destination for many of us stuck at home due to the coronavirus, even if we weren’t particularly interested in it before.
Díaz says her YouTube history starts with “how-to-make-coffee” tutorials and ends with “what-I-do-in-a-day” vlogs. She went from watching TikTok videos every day to watching YouTube videos while she was quarantined in her apartment in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
According to YouTube, the video-watching platform has seen an boost in content based on sharing mundane, often isolating experiences from everyday life, known as “me videos.”
Since March 15, this type of content has seen a 600% boost in views, while videos with the word “at home” in the title have seen a 700% boost.
What’s happening on YouTube?
Americans working or studying from home during the COVID-19 pandemic are looking for up-to-date ways to be productive, and video tutorials seem to be the way to do it. According to YouTube, the number of “cook with me” tutorials has increased by 100% during the period that Americans have been in quarantine.
“I cook dishes that I see in movies, and it feels like a great accomplishment,” Díaz told USA TODAY.
When it comes to cooking, bread is definitely having a moment. How-to videos documenting the feeding process have reached an all-time high on YouTube, up 260% since March 15. Some popular YouTube cooking channels include Binge eating with Babish AND Hellish Junk Food.
According to YouTube, people watched a combined total of over 4 billion hours of how-to videos in the last 12 months.
Work-from-home productivity videos have also seen a surge. YouTube has seen a 210% boost in average daily views of videos with “home office” in the title since March 15, according to the platform.
Are you looking for a better you on YouTube?
Many viewers also turned to self-improvement while quarantined. While videos with “self-care” in the title more than doubled, home workout videos increased by 515%. Among YouTube workout channels, Fitness Marshall and Matt Steffanina are among the most popular.
“When people feel isolated and are going through so many challenges, often alone, they can apply video to enhance or navigate those experiences,” YouTube culture and trends chief Kevin Allocca told USA TODAY. “The idea is that these are things that are always there and we need motivation to get through them.”
With non-essential stores closed in many states, people took it upon themselves to care for their hair. Between March 10 and April 15, videos with the words “hair” and “home” or “how to” in the title were viewed more than 56 million times on YouTube, up from 34 million views from January 1 to March 9.
For the 26-year-old from Puerto Rico, Emma Chamberlain’s YouTube videos are her favorite thing to watch when she wants to unwind. Díaz says she finds Chamberlain’s carefree personality comforting when she’s stuck at home.
“She seems to have the same life as me, and I like that,” Díaz says.
